Happy Birthday Lizzy!!

It's official! Lizzy is now 4 years old!

We had a special lunch of Lizzy's favorite, chicken nuggets and french fries. Daddy made a special number 4 cake, which Lizzy loved.

Lizzy got a fun new toy called a Honeybee Hop. It's a great little game that has a bee attached to a pole which is attached to the main device. When you push the button, the bee spins around and you try to jump over the pole, or chase down the bee. There are various settings for different skill levels. It plays Flight of the Bumblebee as it spins around and if you get hit by the pole it makes a funny sound and stops spinning.

Lizzy also got a wooden dress-up princess doll. It came with various outfits, hats, and gloves. It will be a lot of fun.

Merry Merry Christmas!

We had a great Christmas this year! There are lots of pictures so I'll post them as a slide show.

We went down to Great Grandma's house on Christmas Eve with Grandpa and Grandma Stephenson and family. We had fun watching movies and playing with toys and of course, Grandma's stairs. We each opened one present Christmas Eve to find great jammies that Grandma made for us. Ervin and daddy match with green Cars pants and the girls matched in pink shirts and cute froggie pants. Then the kids went down to bed to wait for Santa while mommy and daddy had fun playing cards with Grandma Great and uncle David and uncle Kevin.

Christmas morning came and we found a lot of presents from Santa! He brought sleds and snowsuits with snow boots for the kids. He also brought them CAT imprinted construction hard hats and badges. Daddy was way excited that Santa got him the new Batman movie on Blu-ray. The kids got a remote controlled car and a karaoke machine from Grandpa and Grandma. Grandpa was kind enough to get us some rechargeable batteries and rechargers so we can keep up with the toys. :) Robert also got Ervin some crayons specially designed for little hands and he gave Lizzy some card games. Grandma also gave Ervin a baby doll who has matching Christmas jammies like Ervin and daddy. Mommy and daddy got a digital camera from Grandpa and Grandma and David gave daddy a print server and mommy a WD TV box. Thanks again everyone! We love our gifts!

Then we went home early to avoid the storm which didn't bother us too bad. We sat down to open more presents. Lizzy got a doctor's kit and proceeded to treat us all. She also got some wooden food to go with her kitchen set that she got last year. Ervin got a Fridge Farm which is an animal matching game that sticks to the fridge. He loves to play with the magnets already on the fridge so we thought this musical game would be perfect. He also got jipped on his other toy, a ball popper. It didn't work, so we're sending it back, and a new one is already on the way. Thanks Amazon!

Friday we went over the Grandpa Jay and Grandma Anderson's house to exchange gifts. Ervin got this great toy truck, some books, a game, and some warm jammies. Lizzy got some warm jammies and a game. Grandma also gave the kids a gift card to Gymboree and we're going this week to pick out some new clothes. Daddy got some new church clothes and a portable tool box carrier. Mommy got a Lionhouse cookbook and a gift certificate to the mall. Thanks Grandpa Jay, Grandma Anderson, and Aunt Lindsay!

Wow! A very full Christmas with family but it was very enjoyable! We're so lucky to have our families so close so we can spend time with them during this holiday season. Happy Holidays!

Christmas Lights

Last night we went with Grandpa Jay, Grandma Anderson, and Aunt Lindsay to the festivities at Thanksgiving Point. We were slightly disappointed because there weren't many lights around the grounds to walk around and see and there weren't any animals in the barn to pet. Also, it was too dark to get any pictures of the kids, so maybe my next post will finally have some more pictures.

However, they did have some real reindeer which were fun to look at. Lizzy had fun walking around with Grandma and Lindsay while Ervin was bundled up bouncing around in the wagon pulled by daddy. He even wore his mittens and matching beanie!

Then we drove through the outdoor lights. Ervin and Lizzy loved looking at all of the lights. Ervin was awed to near silence for the entire ride. :) Thanks Grandpa and Grandma!

Also, Zak and I have finally found a Chinese place down here that delivers. The food was pretty good, we got beef with broccoli and sweet and sour pork (our trial food choice when reviewing a new place) and of course cheese wontons. Zak's fortune was about seeking serenity, and to find it with a book and a good friend. Mine was.... hmm... I can't remember. If I remember, or if Zak reminds me, I will let you know. ;) The spare fortune cookie said something about having a talent for writing, and suggesting writing a letter this week.

Ervin is growing!

I just had to blog! Ervin is growing and developing every day! The teeth keep coming in. Two more have broken through.

Today, Ervin finally called me "mama". It was great! I rewarded him with kisses, of course, but the novelty seems to have worn off now that he's said it a couple of times and been rewarded. :)

Ervin was also helping with laundry today. He's been helping push wet clothes in the dryer for a while now, and he's also discovered how to turn the dryer light on and off. Today he helped push his laundry basket and Lizzy's laundry basket back to their respective places once he helped get the laundry out. He just giggled while he helped and I sure had fun doing laundry with his help.

Drum roll please....

As you know, Ervin's new game is pushing chairs around in the kitchen. He also loves pushing his hippo toy around the living room, correctly and also with the hippo upside down. He's also been standing very well on his own without support for a while. But today, he did the amazing.

While my visiting teachers were here today giving a message, the kids were playing in Lizzy's room. Ervin was in the hall, standing with his hands against the wall, whining for mommy to come get him. I went to him and asked if he wanted to play with the girls in Lizzy's room or come with mommy to the living room. He decided he wanted to come with mommy, so I reached my hands out to him. Normally, he drops to the floor and crawls to me, or stands there holding out his arms and waits for me to come to him. Not today. He took 3 or 4 shaky baby steps into my open arms!! Hooray for Ervin! Hopefully this isn't a one time deal and he will do it again soon and not wait a long time to do it again!

Family Night at the Library

We're really getting into the programs they have available at the local library! It has been a lot of fun!

Tonight we went to the family night, which they do once a month at the library. It was a special Christmas "Hoopla" and we had a great time.

Two men and two women did a little play that was hilarious. The two girls were "Whos" from Whoville and were reading the story of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". Then they announced that the Grinch was in the building and asked him to come out from back stage. Unfortunately, there was no Grinch. There was only Marcello, who was a no eyed, no eared, blue monster with a stringy beard. It was very cute. One guy was the body and the other guy stood behind and was the puppeteer for the face and provided the voice of Marcello.

Marcello was asked if he would play the part of the Grinch, and he agreed. However, he is the exact opposite of the Grinch; he loves Christmas. So all the while he's being himself while the Whos kept correcting him on how he should be acting. There was even good humor for the adults as well as the kids.

After the play, we were led upstairs for fun crafts. There was a long table set up for decorating cookies with fun "easy spray" frosting and sprinkles. In another room there were tables set up for decorating paper ornaments. Lizzy got a little kit with stickers to decorate a 3-D snow globe ornament. However, there were too many kids decorating ornaments, and Ervin was pretty tired, so we went home to decorate the ornament and get Ervin to bed.

Music and Movement

Yesterday we went to the library for a Music and Movement class that they do weekly for kids. It was a blast! Ervin had fun, and eventually Lizzy warmed up to it, even though it wasn't a Princess Party.

Ervin sat on the rug with mommy for a bit, then decided he wanted to go sit with Lizzy on grandma's lap. Then he sat with us for a bit until both kids decided they wanted to be in the action with the kids on the rug and went. It was a lot of fun singing songs about Christmas time, and they even got to ring bells while they sang. They finished with a story about Frosty the Snowman. We will definitely go back! They have a class for older kids which I think Lizzy would enjoy more.

Also, we spent a great day with grandma doing crafts, shopping, and going out to eat. Lizzy helped punch out eyes and glue on buttons. It was great fun! Thanks grandma!

Festival of Trees

This year we went to the Festival of Trees with Grandpa Jay and Grandma Anderson. We were expecting the kids to love it, but it was an overstimulating experience, for all of us. We had a good time though.

There were tons of big trees, little trees, wreaths, centerpieces, and all other kids of art. On top of all of that, there are performers, crafts, lots of food, activities, and Santa. There were a lot of neat trees. One was made all of glass and it was connected to a series of evergreen trees and glass presents and did a music and light show. Wow! The guard lady nearby the tree said that tree sold for $27,000.00. Mommy heard of a Twilight themed tree donated by the Salt Lake Twilighters Anonymous. It had Twilight themed ornaments and had presents under the tree that could have be given to characters in the book.

Afterwards, we went to Daddy's favorite, Crown Burger! Lizzy marched right up to the counter and gave her standard McDonald's order "chicken nuggets, fries, juice box, and a toy". Ervin inhaled a burger and fries.

We had a great time and hope to go again! Here are some pictures I took with my phone.

Princess Party!

Lizzy and mommy went to a fun princess party tonight at the Springville Library. It was a special reading time for girls ages 3-6 to come and wear their princess attire. We had such fun! There was Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, and Jasmine there. By the end there were about 20-30 other little girls all dressed up. They just kept coming and coming! Belle and Ariel each read a story to the girls, followed by cookies and a fun bookmark making activity! We had a great time and we will definitely go to other activities at the library in future.

Say What?!

Thursday we enjoyed a spectacular Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Anderson and some others. The food was great and Ervin enjoyed his first real Thanksgiving (last year he just sat on the floor and watched us eat). He ate pretty much everything that was served and played with a lot of toys.

For some reason Friday and Saturday he decided to end his vow of silence and has dramatically expanded his vocabulary. He and Lizzy have been saying 'Ewwww' to eachother for the last week. Friday he said Grandma and Grandpa a couple times and Saturday he followed that up with 'Balloon,' 'Tree,' 'Another Tree,' and several other things we weren't able to figure out. Most impresive is how good he says Balloon. It won't be long now and he'll be speaking in full sentences.

Ervin is growing

Wow! Every day Ervin gets bigger and bigger, and he learns new things, and he is just a blast!

Daddy got Lizzy's old hippo toy out of the attic for Ervin to explore. It serves two purposes; you can sit and ride the hippo, or you can push the hippo from behind, while the hippo gobbles up coordinating blocks. So far Ervin doesn't want to sit, but he pushes from behind, not while walking, but scooting along his knees. Still very adorable. However, when I tried to take pictures, the kids got all excited and mauled me! :) So here's what I have and use your imagination of Ervin in action. ;)

Also, Ervin has started helping out in the kitchen. He loves hanging out in there when mommy is doing dishes or getting food ready. So when he followed me in there the other day, I decided to put him to work. I was mixing a juice up for dinner and gave him his own spatula to help me stir. So he would stir for a rotation, then he decided to try his concoction, to see if it was ready I guess. It was a little bland at first, but as he kept stirring and tasting, it became better and better. Sunday, he helped daddy make a drink so I got a picture in. He was excited to help out again with something he was already skilled and familiar with.

Haircuts and Flu shots... What a day!

Yesterday was a very busy day for the kids! First, mommy took them to many stores. Then we went to the doctor for flu shots. Lizzy was so brave. All she said was "Ow" when she felt the prick, and got her Nemo Band-Aid. No tears. No tantrums. Very brave example. Poor Ervin had a rougher time of it however. Lizzy went first and Ervin thought maybe just Lizzy was going to be pricked. Then he realized he was next. Many sad/upset tears were shed. Ervin got a Bruce the shark (from Nemo) sticker, but was still crying. Mommy said "Okay, Ervin; we're all done and we can go to Grandma's house" and the crying stopped. So we got him a Dum Dum and even more happiness was exhibited. :)

Then we went to Grandma's house and had a blast! Ervin loved getting the rocks out of Grandma's fountain. We took Grandma to Target and looked at all the fun Christmas decorations. Then we went to Arctic Circle, ate yummy lunch, and played on their playground.

After that, we went home so everyone could have a good, long nap, to mommy's delight! Daddy came home and we headed for haircuts for the kids. Of course Lizzy was the perfect child and role model for how to sit still and behave. Ervin had quite the upsetting experience. Daddy sat with him and they both had capes to keep most of the hair off. Ervin even got a sucker, but unfortunately, he wouldn't even lick it until after his trying ordeal was over. The woman cutting his hair did a great job, especially with all the moving, wiggling, and crying that Ervin did. Hopefully, he will get better the more haircuts he gets.

Then, Uncle David came over for our weekly Office party. The kids were bouncing off the walls with excitement! They couldn't have been more excited if Santa had come to our house. They stood by the window and watched diligently for signs of David's card. Everyone ate dinner (and dessert) really well. Mommy made a "Picnic Loaf" which is a loaf of bread with chicken, broccoli, onion, and chesses baked inside. For dessert we had peaches 'n' cream cheese cake which was wonderful. All in all a very busy but fun day. Thanks!

Hello? Grandma?

Ervin's new "game" is talking on his "telephone". He and Lizzy talk to each other and to grandma, daddy, mommy, whoever, on their remote "phones".

Every day Ervin's vocabulary increases! He is becoming quite communicative! He is also learning to use utensils at the dinner table, as well as the value of a napkin. Unfortunately, when we try to take pictures of these skills he immediately stops and becomes camera shy.

This morning we made a wonderful discovery. Ervin has a NEW TOOTH! This brings the total to 5. Hooray for Ervin!

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween this year. The festivities started on Thursday when Uncle David and Daddy helped Lizzy and Ervin decorate their pumpkins. We found these cute Mr. Potato Head brand pumpkin decorating kits at Target for the kids to use this year. They are relatively easy to put in and it is DEFINITELY less mess/less time/more fun than carving for the kids.

Now to costumes. Grandma made Lizzy a beautiful Cinderella dress, and Ervin was a dinosaur race car driver. Mommy was Team Owner and Daddy was Crew Chief. Zak made a great race car to decorate our wagon for Ervin to ride in during trick-or-treating. Uncle David helped again by finding the graphics needed to decorate the car with sponsors. Zak got many complements.

For trick-or-treating this year we participated in the Springville City Safe Halloween up and down main street. It was packed with people and a lot of fun. It was fun to see all the different costumes on all ages.

Scarecrow Festival

Yesterday we went to the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point. Wow! It was packed with people and games and fun.

Lizzy had fun on a few inflatable slides. She then turned her attentions to the free games and won a plastic spider ring. We then started the long wait for the "train" ride. Ervin didn't want to get off he was having so much fun. Then we watched Robert perform with PALS which was so much fun to watch. Afterwards, Lizzy tried her hand at the fishing game and won a frisbee with the Scarecrow Festival logo on it.

All in all a great experience. Thanks to grandma for taking us along!

One year older, and wiser too

Happy Birthday Daddy! We had a Batman themed birthday party for daddy, complete with door banner. Daddy asked for one thing for his birthday-a bike trailer to haul the kids. Even as we speak, he is putting it together for it's big debut tomorrow after work, as he doesn't have school.

Ervin got excited at the sight of the lit candles, and mommy ended up singing solo, but all in all, Zak had a great day!

Daddy is awesome

Daddy went to take the written CDL test this week and he passed with flying colors! Apparently he had to take 5 different tests as a part of the written CDL test. Hooray for Daddy! All that is left for him is the driving test, so wish him luck!

We went to breakfast this morning as sort of a celebration. Ervin got his first taste of scrambled eggs and pancakes. Of course we ordered his own, since he is such a good eater. He ate lots of eggs and almost an entire silver dollar pancake! The best part was nothing made it to the floor, it all went in his mouth with miniscule amounts ending up in his lap. Hooray for Ervin!

It takes two...

Today, mommy and Lizzy found a new tooth pushing through next to Ol' Chomper in Ervin's mouth. Lizzy said that now that Ervin has two teeth, he should be able to eat ice cream. Ervin, however, was unavailable for comment (or picture) so get your own peak next time you see him. :)



Yesterday daddy finished installing Ervin's birthday swing. Ervin was very patient while daddy finished installing it, and was very excited to give it a test run. While Ervin was swinging, Lizzy had fun riding her tricycle. Here are some photos of the happy duo.

Birthday Boy Ervin!

Happy Birthday Ervin!!!

Today was Ervin's 1st birthday. I can't believe it's already been a year! So much has happened since Ervin was born.

If there was one person who had more fun with Ervin's birthday than Ervin, it would be Lizzy. She was so excited all day at the prospect of going to the "party store" with Daddy when he got home. Apparently, after searching the store for the proper party decor Ervin was presented two choices: dinosaurs, and Disney/Pixar's Cars. He didn't even hesitate.... Cars. He becomes more like Zak every day. :)

We started the festivities by opening presents. Ervin received a card from "Grandpa" Clair with a duck and bubbles on it. He was so excited for the card we had to pry it from his hands to get him to even notice his presents! Lizzy was just chomping at the bit to hand over presents to open, and was extremely helpful in offering her present-opening expertise to Ervin.

After presents we proceeded to dinner of Mac 'n' Cheese Meatloaf. Ervin of course ate just as much as Lizzy, if not considerably more, without the need to add in Lizzy's words "syrup" (ketchup).

Then came the thing everyone was waiting for.... dessert. I made ice cream cone cupcakes with devil's food cake and chocolate frosting. I searched online for any tips to make them a bit easier and I found some help from the Betty Crocker website. They suggested instead of baking them right-side up, put the batter in a muffin cup, place the cone on top, and bake. It went great! This way the cake doesn't overflow, plus the cake domes on top, making it look more like an ice cream cone when frosted.

But the most important part of our day was when Daddy switched Ervin's car seat to forward facing. Ervin was so excited. It was like he was in a whole new car. It was great.

All in all, a great way to spend Ervin's first birthday!

The Tunnel

Here's a picture of the kids and their "tunnel". Lizzy loves to build a tunnel using a blanket that is spread out over the ottoman and couch, creating a tunnel inbetween and underneath. Ervin loved to help her out today as he develops his standing skills. While straightening it out one time, they realized they can wave it up and down to create waves. That is what they are trying to do in this picture.

Also, we experienced great joy and rejoicing when Bugged Plants, Inc. came to spray our home to rid us inside of ants, gigantic dog-sized spiders, and the 30 or so bees living outside near the roof. They came a couple of months ago and we immediately noticed a huge difference. I think we have such a bug problem here due to the major swampy-marshy-foresty land that doubles as a backyard.

Ervin update

Wow... Ervin gets bigger every day. Here's an update, with photos of course, on him.

Saturday was Doughnuts-for-Breakfast Day. Ervin got his first taste of doughnut-holes and

thoroughly enjoyed them.

Ervin has a new favorite toy to play with in the mornings while mommy and daddy wake up. It's a light up pen that daddy got at the truck show. After Ervin figured out how to get the pen itself to come out and drew on his face and all over the sheets, we've decided to take the pen out altogether, but Ervin noticed no difference. We call it his own lightsabre. "Use the force!"

And last, but not least, we made a huge discovery at church today.... drum roll please......

While chewing heartily on both mommy's and daddy's fingers, we notice a sharp pain caused by something other than Ervin's gums. That's right. We have a breakthrough! Ervin has a tooth that has barely pushed through his gums! We're very excited! It's kinda hard to see in the picture, but here it is anyway.